New Jersey’s slimmed down U.S. House delegation will gain a new face and lose a familiar one after primary voters Tuesday nominated Newark’s Donald Payne Jr. to replace his late father and sent longtime U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman packing after his bitter battle with U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell.

The two Democratic races, in the Newark-centered 10th District and Bergen, Passaic and H udson County’s 9th District, highlighted a primary day where voters chose their parties’ nominees for everything from president to U.S. Senate to special elections for state Assembly.

Payne was expected to win, but Pascrell surprised even his own supporters by romping over Rothman in a race most thought was too close to call. Both are are heavily favored to win the general election in November, since their districts are dominated by Democrats.

Payne, an Essex County freeholder and Newark city council president, defeated fellow councilman Ron Rice and State Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex) but his name and money proved overpowering.

Payne, whose family is one of Newark’s most popular political dynasties, ran on the legacy of his father, Rep. Donald Payne Sr., who died in March. While opponents accused Payne of not being the leader his father was, voters and donors went with the known commodity.

"I will work every day in Washington. I had the example before me. I know what needs to be done," Payne told a packed room of supporters at his Newark campaign headquarters on Bergen Street. "I know the path. It’s up to me to follow it. So I promise you that when I take office in the next Congress, that I will make you proud and we will continue to serve this community."

Payne, who had the support of the Essex County Democratic Party, one of the most powerful and reliable political machines in New Jersey, will face Republican Brian Kelemen in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans ten to one.

Pascrell prevailed over Rothman in the 9th Congressional District primary after a race that was nasty from the beginning, tearing apart the two men’s friendship and costing their campaign accounts millions. It even pitted President Obama, who tacitly supported Rothman, against former President Bill Clinton, who came to New Jersey on Friday to campaign for Pascrell.

Just minutes after Rothman’s concession speech aired on T.V., Pascrell, 75, walked out to the booming theme of "Rocky," greeted by the cheers of hundreds of supporters gathered in the Passaic County Community College gymnasium.

Throughout the night, staffers repeatedly talked about campaign’s "scrappy" nature, driven by a group of "fighters."

Pascrell echoed that message during his victory speech. He unbuttoned the sleeves of his white dress shirt, rolled them up to his elbows and pumped both fists in the air.

"As a lifelong Patersonian, my parents always told me not to start fights but to know how to finish them," he said. "Tonight, we did just that."

The men, both eight-term veterans, faced each other after congressional redistricting shaved New Jersey’s U.S. House members from 13 to 12 because of low population growth.

Rothman’s hometown, Fair Lawn, was drawn into a Republican-leaning district represented by conservative Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5th Dist.). Instead of running an uphill battle against Garrett, Rothman moved to Englewood, where he once served as mayor, and challengeed Pascrell in the Democratic primary. Pascrell found his district dismantled and his hometown, Paterson, thrust into a district where just over half of voters were represented by Rothman — making him the underdog. But Pascrell registered thousands of new voters in Passaic County and ran up his margin so high there Rothman could not overcome it in his native Bergen County. Pascrell had 61.3 percent of the vote with 99 percent of the precincts reporting.

"The voters have made their choice and we respect their choice," Rothman said at a Fort Lee hotel, calling Pascrell a friend. "I don’t think I’ll be running for office ever again."

Pascrell will face Schmuley Boteach, a celebrity rabbi, in November. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district almost three to one.

At the top of the ticket, President Obama was unopposed and presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney easily won.

In the Republican U.S. Senate primary, state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos beat three little known known candidates for his party’s nomination, setting up what will be a closely watched race against Democratic incumbent Robert Menendez, who was unopposed.

Kyrillos, a good friend of Gov. Chris Christie, is considered the underdog but has raised a substantial amount of money thanks to his longstanding relationships with the governor and presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. He hopes to break a 36-year-old streak of GOP U.S. Senate losses.

"Bob Menendez is a mediocre Senator," Kyrillos told a crowd of supporters at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. "We deserve much better."

Menendez tied Kyrillos to what he called Wall Street’s excesses, which he said brought the country to the brink of a depression. "I don’t want to see that again," Menendez said after voting in North Bergen. Later, Menendez congratulated Kyrillos and said he looks forward "to a campaign that will focus on and discuss the differences between us in an honorable way."

In South Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District, Shelley Adler, the widow of the late Democratic U.S. Rep. John Adler, will face Republican U.S. Rep. Jon Runyan, who defeated her husband two years ago. It’s expected to be the most competitive New Jersey House race in November.

In the 6th Congressional District, former Highlands Mayor Anna Little won the GOP’s nod for another shot against Democratic incumbent Frank Pallone. She faced a spirited challenge from Ernesto Cullari, a medical professional from Asbury Park who moonlights as a songwriter.

There were also special primaries for state Assembly.

Marie Corfield, an elementary school art teacher who ran unsuccessfully for Assembly last year, will get another chance after beating Princeton Township Deputy Mayor Sue Nemeth in the 16th Legislative District’s Democratic primary. Corfield, who had a brush with fame after a video of her challenging Gov. Chris Christie at a 2010 town hall meeting went viral, will face Assemblywoman Donna Simon (R-Hunterdon), who Republicans tapped to fill the Assembly seat after incumbent Peter Biondi died.

In a special primary election for state Assembly in the 26th District, which covers parts of Morris, Essex and Passaic Counties, Republican Betty Lou DeCroce easily defeated businessman Anthony Pio Costa III. DeCroce was tapped by Republicans for the seat after her husband, Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce, died in January.